Film: Rio Breaks
Year of production: 2009
UK Release date: 3rd June 2011
Distributor: Mr. Bongo
Certificate: E
Running time: 84 mins
Director: Justin Mitchell
Genre: Documentary
Format: Cinema
Country of Production: USA
Language: Portuguese/English
Review by: Sarah Hill
At a quick glance, the new film by director Justin Mitchell, Rio Breaks, appears to be a documentary about the surfing culture in Rio de Janeiro. However, it soon becomes apparent that it is much more than that: it’s an examination of Rio’s youth-orientated gun crime culture that gives more than a nod to Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s 2002 film City Of God. More simply, it is also an exploration of adolescence.
Rio Breaks follows two young boys, 12-year-old Naama and 13-year-old Fabio, as they work towards competing in the annual surfing competition which could, potentially, offer them a sponsorship deal.
For these boys, and others like them, surfing is more than just a hobby: it’s a way out of Rio’s shanty towns, known as “The Hills”, where gun crime is rife. It’s the kind of place where, when confrontation arises, it’s impossible to guess who will shoot first – the police or the gang leaders. It’s a situation that both boys have firsthand experience of, having lost fathers and brothers to this pervading culture.
But as the build up to the competition escalates, can the boys’ friendship survive the constant lure of a life of crime, as well as the universal strain that comes as part of growing up?...
The film opens with the calming sound of waves infused with the gentle sound of Latin guitar. Two inquisitive young boys on their first ever boat trip are eagerly learning about an iconic patch of surf that very few have successfully rode from a group of older men whom they clearly look up to; these men were no doubt a lot like them a few years ago. The film then cuts to a series of fast-paced action shots of surfers. However, it soon becomes clear that these kinetic images are not just a celebration of surf culture; they also evoke a frantic sense of urgency because, as the voiceover informs us: “In Rio, surfing can save your life.”
In this part of one of Rio’s 500 shanty towns, a surf school has been set up in order to provide teenagers with free surfing lessons, so as to keep them away from Rio’s ever-present gun culture. With so few options available to them, it is little wonder that children like Naama and Fabio spend all their days on the beach. The appeal of the surf lifestyle is heightened by the careful juxtaposition of expansive shots of the beach with claustrophobic shots of the inside of the boys’ homes where most of the family reside. This sense of confinement is magnified by the fact that when one of the boys takes the documentary crew on a tour of his home, he stands on the spot and the camera doesn’t move an inch.
Despite their impoverished backgrounds, Naama and Fabio are like many teenage boys around the world; they spend all of their time together and engage in constant banter. Mitchell does an excellent job of depicting the relationship between them and ensures that their individual personalities are apparent throughout. Naama is sharp and cheeky and likes to make jokes, whereas Fabio is much more serious and likes to ponder over matters. This is demonstrated when the boys are shown playfully dangling their legs over a ledge and Fabio asks Naama: “Can you picture us falling from here?” Fabio’s morbid sentiments are hardly surprising given that he lost his father to Rio’s gun culture (which claims 15,000 victims per year) – he was killed by the gang he tried to leave. Although both boys talk about their experiences of gun crime in a worryingly relaxed manner, hearing Fabio describe how he felt when his father was killed is heartrending. It is moments such as these that give the film a depth which elevates it beyond a typical surfing documentary.
Despite this sadness, the film also contains some lovely comedic moments; such as when the narrator claims that, even though they are supposed to be practicing for the competition, the boys have “other things on their mind,” and Mitchell cuts to a shot of a beach full of bikini-clad girls. Girls are a frequent distraction for Naama, in particular, as he claims to have numerous girlfriends whom he likens to gum: “Once they stick, they’re hard to get off.”
However, it’s not just girls that are proving to be a distraction for the boys. As the film progresses, Naama and Fabio’s friendship is threatened by the lure of a life as a well-paid gang member. It seems as if life in a gang is a very real possibility for Fabio as he begins to spend less time surfing and more time fighting, eventually giving up surfing altogether. However, it is obvious that this new attitude arises from fear, as Fabio confesses that he is scared of dying. Although the film produces a few candid moments like this, it doesn’t always explore the feelings of the boys in as much detail as it could and sometimes their thoughts about their lives are skirted over somewhat.
Rio Breaks is an interesting and subtle documentary which unobtrusively follows two young boys as they strive to ensure that the gun crime which has blighted their past doesn’t destroy their future. As we witness them growing and changing in front of the camera, it seems that, sadly, for Naama and Fabio, this may prove to be more difficult than they had expected. SH
No comments:
Post a Comment